WIND POWER IN SWEDEN

Wind power is a renewable component of Sweden’s energy supply strategy.

It is set to play an important part in transforming the Swedish energy system into an ecological and economically sustainable system. Sweden has the basic conditions needed to make more use of wind energy.

TARGETS AND REGULATORY INSTRUMENTS FOR SWEDISH WIND POWER

Sweden currently generates annually around 1.4 TWh of electrical energy by means of wind turbines, and the conditions are good for increasing the supply of wind power.

Swedish Parliament has set up the planning target that it should be possible to build wind turbines by 2015 for generating 10 TWh of electrical energy. The wind power potential is many times higher. But even 10 TWh presupposes a substantial expansion of wind power - ashore and offshore.

Proposal for new planning target for 2020

The Swedish Energy Agency proposes that the planning target for wind power for 2020 should be 30 TWh, of which 20 TWh would be wind power ashore and 10 TWh would be offshore (in water areas). This means that the number of wind turbines would have to increase from less than 900 turbines in 2007 to 3000-6000 units, depending on their ratings. However, the potential for wind power in Sweden is in excess of the proposed planning target.

EXPANSION RATE AND OPERATING STATISTICS

This is over 45 percent more than in 2006, when generation was less than 1 TWh. 1.4 TWh of electrical energy generated by wind power represents 1 percent of Sweden’s electrical energy generation in 2007.

Increased expansion rate in Sweden

The expansion of wind power accelerated during 2007. In earlier years, the annual expansion rate was around 50-60 megawatts (MW). The expansion rate in 2007 was four times higher. According to the Swedish Wind Energy Association, 129 wind turbines with a total output of 217 MW were commissioned in 2007. The total installed power at the end of 2007 was thus 788 MW, distributed onto 958 wind turbines. The wind turbines that were approved for electricity certificates at the turn of the year according to the Swedish Energy Agency register had a total output of 832 MW.